My family and I just got back from a glorious trip to Tulum, Mexico. After seeing our pictures, a lot of you have asked me the details of our itinerary, so I’m going to lay it all out here. Let me tell you what it was like, what I would do over again, and what I wouldn’t.
I was initially attracted to Tulum after seeing pictures of my friend visiting Azulik.
It seemed like a natural paradise. I’m not much for super touristy, high-rise dominated beaches like Cancun. Tulum, located in the Riviera Maya, surrounded by lush rainforest, gorgeous beaches, and Mayan ruins (including Chichen Itza, one of the seven wonders of the world), seemed like a perfect destination for a beach getaway.
I had some JetBlue credit to spend from a previously canceled trip and, to my delight, a new airport opened in Tulum recently with JetBlue flights going directly from NYC to Tulum. Previously, visitors had to fly into Cancun and take a two-and-a-half-hour cab ride to Tulum. So, when I booked in early December 2023, Tulum seemed like the perfect match for us here in Upstate, NY.
Tulum Airport
First, if you’re looking to go to Tulum Airport, you should know a couple of things. It is called “The Jungle Airport” because it is really in the middle of the jungle, about 30 minutes away from the city of Tulum, which is on the coast. So, expect a 30-minute ride if you’re staying in Tulum. But the airport is brand spanking new and clean. I even saw some plastic wrapping on the bathroom stalls from where the stalls had just been installed. It wasn’t crowded at all when we visited in August of 2024.
It is sun-drenched and decorated with natural and Mayan themes. The way out of the airport is scattered with jaguar crossing signs, which I thought were fantastic (from the safety of my air-conditioned van, that is).
The Hotel
We stayed at the Grand Palladium White Sands, halfway between Tulum and Playa del Carmen. Alas, Azulik doesn’t allow kids, and we were looking for a family-friendly destination. Plus, after having read this review about Azulik, I’m glad we didn’t stay there. So instead, I went on the hunt for an all-inclusive resort that had a water park (a plus for my kids) and plenty of tennis courts (for me). I chose a JetBlue vacation package at Grand Palladium White Sands that included free airport transfers, a spa discount, and some resort coupons.
What I didn’t realize when I booked, though, was that this hotel is actually a part of four different hotels that are interconnected—White Sands, Colonial, Kantenah, and Family Selection. All four resorts share the spa and extensive sports facilities, including tennis courts, squash, archery, soccer fields, and much more.
What I liked about Grand Palladium White Sands
We stayed in a Garden View Junior Suite. The suite was roomy, and the beds and bath were very comfortable. The veranda in our building was super dreamy. We also enjoyed access to the various amenities I mentioned. And, I loved that the property was frequented by much of the surrounding wildlife, like iguanas, coaties, and agoutis. The all-inclusive buffets were delicious and well-stocked. The pool, waterpark, poolside snacks and entertainment, and, of course, the drinks were great.
What I didn’t like about Grand Palladium White Sands Construction
Well, first, much of White Sands was closed off, including the pool, for a planned renovation, and this wasn’t made clear when I booked the hotel. Thankfully, golf carts were running all the time to Colonial, where the water park was, so we spent much of our time there. It wasn’t a terrible walk to Colonial, either. But the resort is quite sprawling, so I wouldn’t recommend it for people with mobility issues.
The Constant Upsell Pitches
Right after check-in, watch out for the “timeshare salesmen,” as I liked to call them. They will give offers for free spa days and other freebies to attend their morning presentation on why you must join their travel club, and get increasingly unpleasant when you say no. Just say no from the outset and avoid the drama.
Even though the hotel is advertised as all-inclusive, not all the restaurants are available at all times, and not all of them are included. Reservations are required for the à la carte restaurants, and they often fill up a week in advance. But, even though they are supposedly “filled up,” much of the à la carte restaurants were quite empty to the bystander. I suspect their capacity was limited by not having enough staff for the tables.
Also, those staying at Family Selection and Kantenah had priority for restaurant reservations and golf cart transports, while those staying at White Sands and Colonial got the short end of the stick.
The Water Bottles
Ok, I never thought I’d complain about water bottles, but the ones here are seriously suspect. They were so hard to open, I couldn’t do it, and my husband ripped the skin on his hand trying to open them. It made me wonder if they were refilled and resealed.
The Service
The service was not the kind of hospitality I am used to at other all-inclusives, as snooty as that sounds. Some staff members were great; others weren’t so much.
The Beach
The staff did an excellent job of cleaning up the seaweed every morning, but there were stingrays in the water. Not a dealbreaker, but something to be aware of. The large nets at the periphery of the swimming area kept bigger predators out, which was nice.
All in all, while we had a decent stay, I wouldn’t go to Grand Palladium White Sands again. If you’re looking to go to this area, consider a different resort.
Xel-Ha
On the other hand, Xel-Ha was fantastic.
We did a one-day excursion to Xel-Ha, just a 15-minute drive from our resort. I couldn’t recommend Xel-Ha enough. It is an all-inclusive water park. We booked the excursion through our resort, so they arranged the transport back and forth.
Pro-tip: bargain. They came down almost $200 on their initial ask, down to basically the cost of entry to the park, which is $114.99 for adults and $86.24 for kids. That might seem steep for Central America, but it’s well worth it. The whole place is so well-organized, the service is great, and all food and drinks are included.
No need to keep the wallet on you. Upon entry in the morning, most people place their belongings other than water shoes and bathing suits in the lockers and head to the all-inclusive breakfast buffet. Then, on to exploring the park.
We opted to take bikes to ride up to the top of the park, where we reached the launching point to float down the river in tubes. Any leftover belongings were checked in at the head of the river and were delivered back to the bottom for pickup. While floating in this natural paradise, we came upon cliff-jumping spots and plenty of zip-lining opportunities. Both boys, 6 and 8 years old, can now say they have cliff-jumped in Mexico. What a thrill!
When we were done with that, we got some delicious Mexican lunch, complete with churros, and headed to the dolphin experience. We added on the dolphin experience, which was SO worth the money. Not only did we get to swim with the dolphin, but we also got to ride her by hanging on to her dorsal fin. Swimming with Nushka is not an experience we’ll ever forget.
After that, we tackled the 97-foot slide (eek, talk about mom anxiety), and then spent the rest of the day snorkeling in the expansive bay. And, if you would believe it, we only saw half the park. We didn’t have time for the cenotes, the rope swing, and much more.
Safety
It must be mentioned that Mexico is still a dangerous place for travelers. Arrange transport through reputable sources and keep your wits about you. We went as far as getting tags to track our kids for peace of mind. Lock your passports and valuables when you leave the room. Here is more information from the State Department. Tulum is in the state of Quintana Roo, which is not on the “Do not travel” list but is on the “Exercise Increased Caution” list.
Health
Most travelers to Mexico are advised to get vaccinated for typhoid. Thankfully, most of Mexico is now at low risk for malaria (except the Chiapas or southern Chihuahua regions), so no malaria prophylaxis is required for Tulum. The tap water is not potable, so brush your teeth with bottled water and be careful with fresh foods and veggies when not at all-inclusives (most all-inclusives use filtered water that is safe). Find the full list of scary diseases you could get here.
Travel Insurance
I always get travel insurance for international trips. See this article for more details. I was glad we did for this trip because one of our bags got delayed and we had to buy emergency supplies from the hotel gift shop, which wasn’t cheap. Thankfully, up to $200 of expenses were covered by our Allianz travel insurance.
Other Lessons Learned
When traveling internationally, make sure the name on the ticket matches the name on the passport exactly. We had some drama when Josh’s name was listed as Josh on the ticket and Joshua on his passport.
The JetBlue customer service agent charged us $50 for the name change (and left his bag at JFK, see above), but thankfully we were able to get that refunded on the back end because that is actually against JetBlue’s policies.
Conclusion
Overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend a trip to Tulum for a natural beach getaway to my friends, with the cautions mentioned above. The natural wonders abound. The JetBlue Vacations package was good for peace of mind, having transport to and from the airport.
We probably could have gotten a better deal, though, if we had booked directly with the hotel and had not booked at peak travel time for Tulum (I booked in December), but I was under a time crunch due to my JetBlue credit expiring. Xel-Ha was fantastic.
I wouldn’t stay at Grand Palladium again. There are plenty of options in the Riviera Maya, though, so keep exploring. And, of course, don’t forget to save ahead and budget for these trips so you can travel stress-free!
Happy travels, my friends!
Disha
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